Stored-Product Insects (SPIs)
Definition
Insects that infest, damage, or develop in stored food commodities, including grains, dried spices, nuts, dried fruits, flour, and processed food products. They are economically important globally and represent a major post-harvest loss category.
Related terms
- Defect Action Level
- A regulatory threshold set by food safety authorities (the US FDA's Defect Levels Handbook being the most cited) above which insect contamination...
- Hidden Infestation
- Insects developing inside intact grain kernels (as with Sitophilus larvae) or concealed within the product matrix, invisible to surface inspection. Detection requires...
- Infestation Age
- The minimum period an infestation has been established, back-calculated from the oldest (most developed) larval stage present using accumulated temperature data. Gives...
- Primary Pest
- A species that can attack intact, undamaged grain or other commodity by boring through the kernel or product. Grain weevils (Sitophilus spp.)...
- Secondary Pest
- A species that depends on grain already damaged, cracked, or broken open by primary pests or mechanical processing. Flour beetles (Tribolium spp.)...
Explained in
- Stored-Product Entomology and Food ContaminationInsects that infest, damage, or develop in stored food commodities, including grains, dried spices, nuts, dried fruits, flour, and processed food products. The...